Jay C. Batzner is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida where he teaches theory, composition, and technology courses as well as coordinates the composition program. He holds degrees in composition and/or theory from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, the University of Louisville, and the University of Kansas.
Jay's music is primarily focused around instrumental chamber works as well as electroacoustic composition. His music has been recorded on the Capstone, Vox Novus, and Beauport Classical labels and is published by Unsafe Bull Music.
Jay is a sci-fi geek, an amateur banjoist, a home brewer, and juggler.
Ok, I'm starting to get some reviews from one of my compositions. The great part is that I haven't even finished the piece yet! Here are some initial reactions to my solo marimba suite (in progress) tentatively titled Songs of my Youth.
from Ryan Churchill, longtime friend and band, erm, Wind Ensemble director: "You and I both are probably headed for hell anyway, this just puts you on the fast track."
from Heidi Parker, my sister: "Shame on you! Shame! Shame! Bow your head in shame!!!"
Strong stuff, eh? The thing about Songs is that each movement is an abstraction from some early 80s pop tune. They are incredibly fun pieces to write. I don't know if they are fun to listen to but based on these reactions I think I am going in the right direction.
I almost forgot to mention the tunes: 1. Come on Eileen 2. Don't Dream it's Over 3. Careless Whisper (which yielded the above comments) 4. Always Something There to Remind Me 5. Take on Me
posted by Jay C. Batzner
4/11/2008
Quote of the Day
From my wife, listening to David Lang's The Little Match Girl Passion.
"I like this. This isn't what I expected from a Pulitzer winner. I really like this."
posted by Jay C. Batzner
4/10/2008
I do love teaching
I had a really good energizing day today. My comp students invaded Music Forum, our twice-a-week performance venue. I wrangled an entire forum last semester for the Comp 1 class so the whole class could take a piece from idea through performance. It worked well. This semester I had fewer students but they each had 2 short pieces or 1 longer piece. The whole thing was well attended and well put together. I'm very proud of them all.
Also, in my freshman theory class, I gave a composition project assignment. Some students have stopped by with their pieces and I'm really pumped about what they are doing! I love looking at their scores, seeing potential, and offering my own humble suggestions. I tend to shotgun out a lot of options, often contradictory ones, to get the students thinking of their own ways to navigate their pieces.
For some sadistic reason it is much easier to see potential in my students' works than it is to see in my own. I have several short marimba pieces to complete in the next month and I'm just stuck. I know what I want to do but it just isn't happening. Maybe I need to ask my students for help. Come to think of it, that is EXACTLY what I am going to do!
posted by Jay C. Batzner
4/07/2008
Opening Acts
The animation Carnival Daring-Do that I did with Carla Poindexter is getting its first screening this weekend at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. Next weekend, Fresno. In Fresno we are opening for Jellyfish, which won the Camera d’Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Quite an interesting pairing, if you ask me, which you didn't, and I'm honored that they have put our film with something that people might actually go and see.
That is good. I like that.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
My favorite, though, was the musical one. YouTube looked perfectly normal, yet every movie you clicked on the front page took you here. Notice the 6 million views? A lot of people bit on this one. Hell, I fell for it 3 times until I realized the "broken" link was intentional. So yes, my favorite fool of yesterday was me.
